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We arrived in Puerto Varas late in the evening and didn't get to see much of the town. We were both a bit sad to leave Pucón, having spent a full 5 days there, but we had to meet the ferry in Puerto Montt for our onward journey south. According to all accounts Puerto Varas was meant to be much prettier than Puerto Montt and only 30 minutes away, so the plan was to stay there a couple of days and then board the Navimag. The hostel we had booked ourselves into was the smallest we had yet encountered and also seemed to be the owner's home. Ourselves and a French couple were the only guests. The morning greeted us with steely grey skies, rain and wind. This seemed to reflect our moods. We had read that Puerto Varas still displayed a lot of the German settler influences. The older houses were all steepled and covered in wooden 'Schindeln'. What puzzled me most though was the recurring sign offering "Kuchen" (which means cake in German). I hadn't encountered any other remnants of the German language except perhaps in people's surnames (eg Ramiro Kunstmann) which always made me smile. Nor had I met any Chilean Germans. Having grown up in a German community "im Ausland" I was particularly intrigued to see if there were similarities. But perhaps I just hadn't looked hard enough.
After a short walk around town we decided to catch a bus to the Parque ... for a walk around the volcano. As it was already so late in the day and we had to make it back in time for the last bus, it ended up only being for a couple of hours. The weather had improved although Volcan Osorno remained shrowded in clouds. The rest of the scenery was beautiful though with an icegreen lake and snow-capped mountains!
Through the hostel we booked ourselves onto some whitewater rafting for the second day, along with the French couple and another English couple; we were a small group. The weather was not ideal with rain and low-hanging clouds (which meant we couldn't see any of the volcanos) but the river was swollen and so presented amazing Class III-IV rapids. I still have my doubts whether our paddling actually did anything or whether our guide just used it to keep us warm and occupied. Halfway down the river we could jump off a four meter cliff into the river. All I remember from my jump was the amazing colour of the bluegreen swirling water all around me. The cold started to seep in and our frozen fingers turned getting dressed at the end of the trip into a comedy show. But the cold aside, what fun it was!
When we got back to the hostel on the evening we found it full of Chilean builders or fishermen (we couldn't quite determine which) who were there for a salmon fishing fair. I was glad we were leaving the next morning as the partying went on long into the night. With thin walls, cramped space and small measured-out breakfasts this was definitely not a hostel we would miss!
The Navimag was our next destination.
*Steph
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